1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to portable, hand-holdable trimmer devices for lawn and garden use, and more particularly to a clippings catcher assembly that easily connects and interfaces a powered hedge trimmer to a vacuum apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable hand-holdable hedge trimmers are known which generally comprise electrically powered blade pairs which are relatively moveable, elongated members each having a plurality of tooth-type, double edged cutting blades. When using such hedge trimmers the cuttings are left to fall onto the hedge being trimmed. This necessitates a laborious effort to gather or otherwise dispose of the cuttings using a separate sweeper, vacuum or blower apparatus. It would be extremely advantageous if a hedge trimmer incorporated means for sucking up the grass cuttings immediately after they are produced by the cutting blades and for storing the cuttings in a container carried with the trimmer thereby eliminating the extra step of gathering dispersed cuttings. Such an improved apparatus is provided by the present invention.
To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a clippings catcher for connection to a powered hedge trimmer to catch trimmings severed from a plant, such as a hedge or bush, by the hedge trimmer. An elongated tubular housing parallel to and extending the length of the hedge trimmer blade assembly defines an air passage to deliver the trimmer cuttings to a powered vacuum collection container. The catcher assembly is easily connected between commercially available powered hedge trimmers and vacuum apparatuses.
The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will be for the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining the preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood, that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved clippings catcher that is easily connected between commercially available powered hedge trimmers and vacuum apparatuses.
It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved combined hedge trimmer and vacuum apparatus, which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved clipping catcher, which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved clippings catcher that is easily interfaced to commercially available hedge trimmers and vacuum apparatuses.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved combined hedge trimmer and vacuum apparatus which combines the dual functions of trimming and substantially simultaneously collecting the trimmer cuttings and transferring them to a collection container associated with the apparatus.
These together with still other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.